Thill-coupling



Gu Wu Tl m RU Bw Du Lm T a d 0 M 0 w .No. 356,304. Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

Units STATES mes.

PATENT HENRY D. BROWN, OF SOMERVILLE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO STEPHEN IV. CALL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,304, dated January 18, 1887.

Application filed August 12, 1886. Serial No. 210,707.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY D. BROWN, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings, of which the following is a specification.

l /Iy invention relates to thill-couplings, or those contrivances whereby the shafts or tongues of vehicles are attached to the draft plates or other devices connected with the front axle.

Y 'It is the object of my invention to so improve the construction of articles of the class mentioned as to secure improvements therein touching the points of simplicity, strength of parts, facility with which the thill or tongue or shaft may be attached or detached, and effectiveness in use. I i

To these ends my invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe, so that others skilled in the art may be able to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, and the invention being particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed at the end of the description of the construction and operation.

Of the drawings, Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of my invention, some of the immediately-associated parts being also shown in section. Fig. 2 represents asection on the line 1 1 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal sectional view of a modified construction of some of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. at represents an under side view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a view of modified means for holding or looking the key shown in Fig. l in place.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the views.

In the drawings, a represents the front axle of a vehicle, to which the clip I) is connected by nuts 0, screwed on the ends (Z of the clips, or in any other suit-able or known manner. The clip I) is provided with the usual longitudinally-bored ears or lugs e and anti-rat tling rubber cushion or blockf.

9 represents a shaft or thill, to the under side of the rear end of which the thill-iron h is secured by means of bolts 1', or in any other (No model.)

suitable manner. The thill-iron is provided with staples or lugs j j, provided with openings to receive therethrough the draft-bar k, inserted endwise therein. The said draft-bar is provided with a transverse channel in its upper surface at the point where it passes through the lug j, and the lower face of the thill-iron h is provided with a corresponding channel in its lower face opposite the channel formed in the draft-bar 7c, and the lugj has a hole formed therein at the opposite ends of said channels for the reception of a wedgeshaped key, Z, held or locked in position by means of the wire pin m,running transversely through the smaller end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2. Y

A ferrule, 2, formed integral with the thilliron, is adapted to slip over and fit upon the lower end of the shaft, for the purpose of holding the latter firmly in position on the thilliron at the point mentioned. The lower or inner end of the draft bar 7t is provided with an eye, a, by means of which it is secured to thelugs e of the clip I), a bolt or rivet, 0, being employed for that purpose, all as common in this class of devices.

The description thus far given has been confined to the contrivances shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the operation of which will now be easily understood. The thill being attached to the draftplate, as shown, to release it, lockingpin m is drawn out ofthe end of key Z and the latter is driven or drawn out of the holes formed in lugs j and from the channels formed in the thill-iron and draft-bar, when the latter willslip through the lugs j, detaching said thill. By a reverse operation or proceeding the thill or tongue may be attached to the vehicle.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown a slightlymodified form of devices for connecting the thill-iron with the draft-bar. In this constructiomas represented, instead of employing the keyl and locking-pin m, I tap a screwthreaded hole in the draftbar and turn therein a thumb-screw, p, which is adapted to have its inner end bear against the lower surface of the thill-iron and draw the shoulders q ,formed on the forward end of the draft-bar, down alongside of the lower'part of lug j, secur- 100 .ing the draft-bar firmly and securely in position. Itis necessaryin this instance, for the sake of expeditious manipulation of the parts, to cut a channel through lugj, as represented at r in Fig. 4, in order to enable the shank of the screw lei't in the draft-bar to pass in. detaching the thill.

Instead of employing the lockingpin m, shown in Fig. 2, I may construct a spring, 8, as represented in Fig. 5, securing one end to the thill by means ofthe bolt 6, or in any other suitable manner, and having the other free end passed through the head of the key Z. Said spring operates with a tendency to press and hold the key Z in place, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 5.

Athill-coupling constructed in accordance with my invention is at once simple in form, easily and cheaply manufactured, easily manipulated so as to quickly attach or detach a thill or tongue, and effective in operation, the lugs j and key Z or thumbscrew 19 serving to keep the draft-bar securelylocked to the thilliron, and in such manner as to avoid undue noise or rattling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The thill, the thill-iron provided with the ferrule i, through which the lower end of the ferrule t, through which the lower end of the thill may be passed, and having the perforated lugs jj', the draft-bar k, adapted to be passed through the perforations in said lugs,

means, as described, for connecting the draftbar to the clip, the wedge shaped key 2, for

locking the draft-bar to the lugj, and the spring 8, all constructed, arranged, combined, and operating substantially as and for the pun poses hereinbefere specified.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 31st day of July, A. D. 1886.

HENRY D. BROYVN.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR W. ORossLnY, O. F. BROWN. 

